Not applicable.
This invention relates to an improved tool for clearing ice chips, ice chunks, or other debris from holes bored, sawed, or chopped through the ice for the purpose of ice fishing.
Ice fishing is a popular recreational and commercial activity, which occurs in northern regions during the winter. By necessity ice fisherman need to bore, saw, or chop holes through the ice to be able to insert either hook and line, nets, or fish attracting decoys or other apparatuses into the water.
A critical step in the ice fishing process is the removal of the slush, snow, ice chips, and ice chunks that typically clog the ice fishing hole after the hole has been bored, sawed, or chopped through the ice.
There are multiple prior art devices commonly employed for removing debris from ice fishing holes. One common device is a metal-handled perforated metal bowl device similar to GANGI, U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,253, with a shallow saucer shaped perforated metallic bowl. These commonly available devices are relatively small, and lack the capacity to remove large quantities of ice chips quickly. They are typically comprised of metallic materials that sink if inadvertently dropped into the water, and further, the handle, bowl and perforations often freeze up with residual ice rendering the device ineffective. Attempts at striking the device in an effort to remove the residual ice buildup often results in the device bending into an inefficient shape.
A thorough search has also discovered several other types of ice chip removal devices such as, HENDRICKS, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,538, and ROBERTS, U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,188, which have moving parts that can become inoperable with residual ice buildup. These devices must be de-iced in a warm environment to be ready to use after icing up. These devices also lack the capability to remove larger chunks of ice.
There are also commercially available strainer devices which utilize fixed injection molded plastic strainer baskets attached to metallic handles. Again, the strainer baskets are too small and are also composed of inferior plastics which become brittle and crack or otherwise fail when used in the sub-zero temperatures common to ice fishing, and again, these devices sink when inadvertently placed into the water.
Nowhere in the prior art is there found any teaching of the improved method to fashion a conical strainer basket from a flexible, sheet form, non-metallic material such as UHMW polyethylene that can repeatedly withstand the significant impact and flexing stresses needed to rid the device of unwanted residual ice at subfreezing and sub-zero temperatures.
An Ice fishing skimmer, dipper, or scoop is a device for separating snow, slush, ice chips, ice chunks, and other debris from liquid, i.e. water, in an ice fishing hole that has been either bored, sawed, or chopped through the ice.
The present invention is an improved ice removal device in that it is simple; composed of a superior material that is durable and will not crack or break in sub-freezing and sub-zero conditions. It is constructed in an optimum size by which to substantially reduce the time involved in the ice chip, ice chunk removal process so that more time is available for the ultimate goal of the activity, fishing.
Accordingly, several objects and advantages of my invention are the simplicity, durability, effectiveness, and ease with which it can be used.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an ice scoop which can be easily inserted into a hole bored through the ice covering a body of water, and effectively and quickly remove the debris clogging the hole.
Another object of this invention is to provide an ice scooping device which is composed of non-metallic, floatable, buoyant materials so that if the device is inadvertently placed into the water it will float.
A further object of this invention is to utilize very durable polymeric materials such as UHMW polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, ABS plastic, nylon, urethane, or other such compounds or metals that are strong and resist breakage in sub-freezing and sub-zero conditions. Some of these materials are difficult, if not impossible to injection mold, so that the unique design of the asymmetrical perforated conical strainer-scoop device as set forth in the claims section, and as illustrated in the drawings and described in the description, is a unique way to utilize a flat sheet of flexible or semi-rigid material to construct an asymmetrical cone shaped strainer-scoop.
UHMW polyethylene is the preferred material for this embodiment because of its inherent durability and resilience at sub-zero temperatures. UHMW poly (abbreviation of Ultra High Molecular Weight polyethylene), is commonly used to manufacture durable components used in cold environments such as CORMICAN U.S. Pat. No. 6,331,008 (one piece molded ski apparatus). One common drawback of UHMW poly is that it is difficult if not impossible to injection mold; compression molding being the only feasible alternative. However, compression molding of UHMW poly has limitations, and it is an unsuitable process for relatively thin, perforated parts such as the asymmetrical perforated conical strainer-scoop of the preferred embodiment. When UHMW poly is subjected to the extreme temperatures and pressures of compression molding, it tends to produce uncontrollable warping in thinner parts, thus producing unusable and undesirable results. It is for these reasons that I chose sheet form UHMW poly as a better material with which to produce a perforated conical strainer-scoop. Sheet form UHMW poly can be sawed, drilled, or die cut to produce the desired pre-determined dimension. The preferred embodiment utilizes a die-cut perforated conical strainer-scoop.
This asymmetrical perforated conical strainer-scoop can be attached using conventional fasteners to an elongated handle, (rectangular, square, or round), made of a non-metallic floatable, buoyant material such as wood, foam-filled plastic tubing, or solid buoyant plastic compound.
A further object of this invention is to utilize the surface of the handle to be printed with a ruled measuring graphics to aid ice fishermen in measuring ice thickness and fish length.
Another object of this invention is to provide a means to construct various size and dimensions of asymmetrical conical scoop devices out of flexible or semi-rigid sheet material.
Yet a further object of this invention is to utilize the durable perforated asymmetrical conical scoop device mounted on a handle for uses unrelated to ice fishing, such as a scooper for picking up canine feces from grass, dirt, concrete and other hard surfaces. A design for a canine fecal matter scoop is made by notching teeth into the leading front archuate edge of the asymmetrical perforated conical scoop so as to facilitate scooping and lifting up of canine fecal matter.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent and understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
In accordance with the present invention an ice fishing strainer-scoop comprises an asymmetrical conical strainer-scoop device attached with conventional fasteners to an end of an elongate handle member.